In the field of shoes it is well known that every person distributes their weight differently than the next. Some people bear heavily on the inner portion of their feet while others lean toward the outer portions. Some distribute weight mainly toward their toes while others carry a large portion of their weight with their heels. It is also well known that different sports require the placement of more pressure on some parts of the foot than others.
Due to these factors, it is well known that many different styles of shoes have been developed, each being used typically for a single sport. These dedicated shoes may not be efficiently used for different types of sports. The athlete is not only limited in the construction of the shoe for the particular sport, but is also limited to the number of styles available in that construction.
It is desirable for an athlete to select a style of shoe he/she prefers and then customize the shoe to his/her particular physical characteristics, the particular sport in which he/she will be engaged, and the level of play in which the athlete will engage. It is further desirable in customizing the particular shoe for the particular foot and sport, that a method be provided for determining a proper construction of the shoe which would meet the individual athlete's needs.
Other shoes have been developed for customization or for particular activities. Included are the devices described in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,430,810 A. Bente Feb. 14, 1984 4,598,487 K. W. Misevich July 8, 1986 4,621,441 K. R. Wagner, et al. Nov. 11, 1986 4,697,362 A. Wasserman Oct. 6, 1987 4,712,319 L. Goria Dec. 15, 1987 4,814,661 M. H. Ratzlaff, et al. Mar. 21, 1989 4,837,960 J. J. Skaja Jun. 13, 1989 ______________________________________
Of these devices, the U.S. Pat. No. '810 patent issued to Bente and the U.S. Pat. No. '487 patent issued to Misevich disclose shoes that provide lateral support of the sole proximate the heal of the shoe. These shoes do not provide for the customization of the shoe for the particular wearer depending upon the wearer's weight distribution and sport.
The U.S. Pat. No. '661 patent issued to Ratzlaff discloses a shoe which may be used to measure and analyze the forces exerted by a wearer during normal activities. Ratzlaff does not provide for the alteration of the shoe to suit the individual needs of the wearer.
The U.S. Pat. No. '441 (Wagner), U.S. Pat. No. '362 (Wasserman), U.S. Pat. No. '319 (Goria), and U.S. Pat. No. '960 (Skaja) patents each disclose devices for personalizing the exterior of a shoe by the temporary placement of selected indicia. For example, the former two patents disclose the use of hook-and-loop type fasteners for temporarily maintaining the position of selected indicators while the latter two patents disclose the use of snap-on type indicators. None of the patents discloses a means for permanently affixing selected indicia at selected locations on the shoe.
Other devices have been developed to assist in the point-of-purchase preview of selected articles and services, such as those disclosed in:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,539,585 D. S. Spackova, et al. Sep. 3, 1985 4,823,285 V. L. Blancato Apr. 18, 1989 ______________________________________
The devices described in these patents are used as previewing aids for allowing a purchaser of goods or services to view the aesthetics of those goods or services. The U.S. Pat. No. '585 patent issued to Spackova discloses a device for previewing clothing and other selected accessories while the U.S. Pat. No. '285 patent issued to Blancato discloses a device for previewing hairstyles. These devices are used for determining the aesthetic qualities of the goods, and may not be used to measure the weight of the individual or the weight distribution applied to the feet.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a means for selectively customizing a shoe, especially the sole thereof, for the particular requirements of a wearer dependent upon, among other factors, the weight of the wearer, the weight distribution of the wearer, the particular activity to be performed, and the level of intensity of the activity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for selectively customizing the aesthetic appearance of the shoe upper.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby the aesthetic customization of the shoe upper may be made permanent.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby the customization of the sole of the shoe and the customization of the upper of the shoe may be made permanent in similar fashion.